Introducing a Group Newby

I am new to this blog/list.  My name is Nathalie (yes, you do sound out the "th") and I live in Odessa, Texas.  My day job is teaching Culinary Arts in the high schools.  My students bus over to my kitchen/classroom/restaurant from the two high schools in town to be a part of my program.  I have been teaching this for the last three years and even though I am extremely busy a good part of the year, I really, really love what I am doing.  I get to be creative in the kitchen and help teach my students to learn how to cook, be self-sufficient and hopefully better citizens.  At the end of the day I come home to my 5 fur babies (4 shi tzus and one yorkie - it's a long story) and sometimes if I am not too tired, create with fabric in my studio.  When I get some extra time I design quilts and teach quilt classes.  I have been sewing since I was 5 years old when I made my first dress - zipper, too and have been making quilts since I was a sophomore in high school. I just turned 50 this year so I have been at it a long, long time. Below are a couple of pictures of me.

This picture is the one you will see of me when I post or comment.  It's the one on facebook and blogger. 

This one is of me a couple years ago at family reunion.  Sorry it's so small, but I cropped it from another picture my cousin sent and the pixels blur it when I enlarge it. I will have to work on getting another "good" picture of me. 

How would I describe my quilting style?  Hmmm.  That is hard, but I would have to say, eclectic, modern traditional with a twist?  Does that make sense to you?  I enjoy the traditional blocks and quilt making, but I mix it up a bit or a lot!  I am enjoying the modern quilt movement on the blogs and have even made some of those patterns with my own interpretation, but I really lean more towards Gwen Marston, Denyse Schmidt, improvisational styles.  I love making my own fabric from scraps in the "15 minutes Play" style and then incorporating that into quilts.
I have been a fabriholic from a very young age and have a huge HUGE stash of fabrics.  I don't usually purchase quilt kits (even though I have a couple here waiting to be made only because I loved the pattern/fabrics) but, do purchase lots of fabric, especially when it's on sale.  The majority of the fabric I have has been purchased on sale.  I have made a few "ugly" fabric quilts that have turned out to be some of the most beautiful quilts you have ever seen and you wouldn't know they started out with a fabric no one else, especially me, loved.  I enjoy making quilts with lots of fabric combinations.  The more the merrier, I say.  I will put holiday fabrics in with my other everyday fabrics if the color combination works.  You may say, "hey, I like that orange fabric" and then get closer to it and realize it's spiders from Halloween.  It's all about the color with me. 

I am looking forward to making a block for each of you and getting to know you all this year.  I "met" Beebee this year when she joined in my Stocking Swap from my blog.  When she asked if I would be interested in joining this group, I said yes.  I haven't participated in a monthly block swap in quite awhile and thought it would be fun to get back into that.  I look forward to the challenge everyone will set for us each month and am glad I am toward the end of the year so I have plenty of time to plot and plan my selection.

You can keep up with my from my blog www.wastelandwallowing.blogspot.com
to see what all I am working on from time to time.

Introducing.......

...me!

Hello everyone, I'm Liz or Lizzie to my blogging friends and I live in a tiny village in the hills west of Melbourne, Australia . I'm a passionate photographer, a quilter who hand quilts, I love playing around on the computer and I taught computer until a few weeks ago, I absolutely adore my nine (and a bit that's due in July) grandchildren, I work/play in a patchwork and quilt shop in a small country town 10kms from my home and love it. There's a link on my personal blog to Millrose, so if you want to keep up with what I'm up to you can go there...

I've been with this Bee since we started it, I think four years ago now and I've made some great friends here and hope to make many more.

I really love blogging too and you can find me here at my 'house in the country' or at a couple of my photography blogs 'back to black' and 'photographs I heart', I just need to have another day in the week so that I can fit everything in..!

I've given the blog a bit of a facelift today, I hope you all like it, you can find the blog roll, a list of whose month it is and the followers list at the bottom of the page. There will only be three (3) posts to a page to make loading quicker, if you put your name and country as a label when you post that will make it easier to know who is who. I'll be taking care of the blog still so if you have any problems here let me know, for those of you that are new this year, I'll be adding your names today so you'll get an invite to join from blogger. You'll need to accept that before you can post here. Also if you're new could you send me a link to your personal blog so that I can put you in the blog roll...

I'm looking forward to meeting all the new members through this blog and I'll be sending out fabric etc by the middle of January. Please remember when you post to us Aussies that it can take up to three weeks to reach us sometimes (especially Sue who lives at the end of the earth..  ;o)

Nice to meet you all and don't forget to have fun.......

Getting ready for the 2013 bee!

I am ready to send out the information for the 2013 Bee Balm Bee.  I am still waiting to hear from a couple of you.
As soon as I get all the information we will be able to get started.
I think 2013 will be a wonderful year for us all!

I wanted to presenting you my husband and I's latest creation:

Zora, born Nov. 2nd at 2:53 am

Melina

Just an FYI

hi!  I just wanted to let everyone know that my second eye surgery was Thursday, and I came home and slept most of the day with my friendship quilt.  It was perfect, and I felt all the love you have all sent comforting me.  Friday I went in to have the bandage removed, and the doctor is VERY pleased with how everything went/looked, and he doesn't think I will have any problems once it heals.

thanks again for your love and support, and I can't wait to get started on our next bee.
xxooxx,
San-Dee

My Sweet Heart Quilt

I finally finished the quilt from the online bee we did last year!
I quilted it yesterday and I did the binding this morning.

Just thought I would share it.

2013 Bee is coming together

I have 10 so far for the 2013 bee. Woo Hoo... I am so excited to get this together and I know everyone will have fun with it. I hope I can do this right.

I have been looking at this site and trying to figure out how to move around it somewhat. {{{{{ Lizzie, I will need some help when we can get together to talk about it.(virtual conversation! LOL)}}}}}

As soon as I have 12, I will send out a tentative list showing who has what month.  At that time if you do not like the month you get, please let me know right away and I will move things around so that everyone is happy. Then I will send out a final list and email out all the addresses to everyone.

hugs to all from Louisiana
beebee

San-Dee's Quilt of Hugs

I'm so sorry I can't locate yet the photo of the finished quilt...but I do have pictures of the top pre-quilted.

I found a piece of very brightly flowered fabric for the back....seriously flowered here ladies LOL...and at first I started free motion quilting but it wasn't making it special.  So I unpicked it and started new doing hand quilting for the first time.  Wow...that's a skill that will take time to become fluent in.  I chose thread colours that went with the fabric used in the individual blocks.

San-Dee, it was a pleasure and I'm happy it made it to you when you really need it.  You take care and heal both emotionally and physically (gotta look after those eyes!).  You are very special.   (((hugs)))  

Thank you my friends for all you did to get this done, you are the best.

Viv
Yukon

I am so honored

We were out of town for a week and arrived back Sunday afternoon. Going through the mail, which my darling daughter #2 had piled on my bed, I saw a large package.  I opened it last because I had a feeling it would be the best.  And I was right!  Inside was a beautiful lap quilt made by wonderful friends from around this world.  I can't tell you how overwhelmed I am at the generosity of you all.  My  dear friend in CA always tells me I look at the world through rose colored glasses (somewhat sarcastically) and she is right-I do look through rose colored glasses and I see wonderful women like you all!

I can't take a picture and post it yet because I need a special size connector.  But I can say that it is absolutely beautiful.  All of you so generously reached out to "hug" me, and Viv-I can't believe you hand quilted the blocks!  This is something I will cherish all my life.  And it couldn't have arrived at a better time.  My second eye surgery to remove the "debris" is scheduled in July and we will be leaving for OH on Thursday as the situation is coming to resolution-the hospice nurse feels it is better if we come in sooner rather than later.

I love all of you for the women you are, that you would reach out and wrap me in your love, and that we get to do this again!  Thank you so much from the bottom of  my heart.
xxooxx, San-Dee

I'm ready for another bee!

I would love to take part in another "bee".  Does anyone feel up to a bee challenge?   I can try leading it.  I will need everyone to send me an email with an address and someone will have to show me how to let others post on this site.  I hope we can keep The Bee Balm as our name.  Maybe we can start in the Fall or we can wait and start in January, 2013.  If anyone is interested please email me and respond to this post with any ideas you may have.

hugs from South Louisiana
beebee

I've been so excited keeping this finish a secret .....

........but I finally completed Lizzie's quilt and popped it in the mail to her.

Thank you everyone who contributed, including Elaine's special friend Helen.

We ended up with 20 blocks which made a lovely sized quilt

and I'm sorry I did get a little

very grumpy

trying to hurry you all along...it was worth it.

Lizzie now has her own 2011 Bee Balm quilt.

Even if she didn't get it until 2012.